V1n5anity wrote:I hate him, but how can you not give credit for what LeBron did in the clutch there? He did everything. Scored, grabbed boards, played D, and assisted the game winner. He's easily the best player in the game and it's not even close. I don't see how anyone can beat the Heat this year.

He had 1 made field goal, 2 offensive rebounds, and 1 assist down the stretch. Only lebron could get SO MUCH praise for this. These things naturally happen with kobe all the time, but its never really considered part of closing. Lol, it was all charles.

V1n5anity wrote:I hate him, but how can you not give credit for what LeBron did in the clutch there? He did everything. Scored, grabbed boards, played D, and assisted the game winner. He's easily the best player in the game and it's not even close. I don't see how anyone can beat the Heat this year.

King of Clutch wrote:I DO NOT want to face the warriors in the playoffs. They have that 2010 okc look to them. Happy they beat the nuggets though. They're now at .500. If we win tomorrow we'll be 7th in the west...

What ? A 1st round against GS would be fun and a guaranteed win for us ... GS and Sota , 2 teams we don't lose against even when we try to

V1n5anity wrote:I hate him, but how can you not give credit for what LeBron did in the clutch there? He did everything. Scored, grabbed boards, played D, and assisted the game winner. He's easily the best player in the game and it's not even close. I don't see how anyone can beat the Heat this year.

BTW , how many times have we already seen a Lebron assist for a Allen clutch shot this season ? I'm under the impression I've seen this at least 5 or 6 times ..

lakerswiz wrote:Bruce Bowen was a dirty player that constantly slid under jumpshooting players and HE'S KICKED PEOPLE IN THE FACE TRYING TO PLAY DEFENSE.

His point here is not about Bowen's defense, it's that the league called a player directly to intimidate him against his style of play. They should have gone through proper channels which involves talking through the team.

grego wrote:Stern - stop scheduling 4 games in 5 nights or 5 games in 7 nights!! It's such a long season with 82 games already!

This puts a strain on all bodies, especially older players. If Pop rests his guys now and they stay healthier through the season, then more fans get to see those players more often.

Kasumi wrote:I swear the Spurs never received this much attention during any of their championship runs... but sending home 4 players for a Miami Heat game? Fine 'em a quarter mill. Insane.

It's not like most of the viewing (mainstream) America cares to see Spurs. They watch the Heat, who get the ratings....

Why not rest them the game BEFORE the Nationally televised marquis game? This was a "protest move" by Pop and the Spurs more than anything else. They had choices and conspicuously chose this day and this game in that string.

Are you advocating that the schedule of the NBA be designed around a players ability to play 5 our of 7 days? We have an older team here that seems has never played well in those situations but I would never advocate for a schedule built around that fact....

You do know that Stern was the commissioner when the league stopped playing on 3 and 4 nights in a row don't you?

I don't really care for defending him at all but not nipping this in the bud could have ramifications for future TV contracts and that effects more than this year's older Spurs team.....

"If the past sits in judgment on the present, the future will be lost." Winston Churchill

“The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."Dwight Eisenhower

"Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it"Thomas Sowell

grego wrote:Stern - stop scheduling 4 games in 5 nights or 5 games in 7 nights!! It's such a long season with 82 games already!

This puts a strain on all bodies, especially older players. If Pop rests his guys now and they stay healthier through the season, then more fans get to see those players more often.

Kasumi wrote:I swear the Spurs never received this much attention during any of their championship runs... but sending home 4 players for a Miami Heat game? Fine 'em a quarter mill. Insane.

It's not like most of the viewing (mainstream) America cares to see Spurs. They watch the Heat, who get the ratings....

Why not rest them the game BEFORE the Nationally televised marquis game? This was a "protest move" by Pop and the Spurs more than anything else. They had choices and conspicuously chose this day and this game in that string.

Are you advocating that the schedule of the NBA be designed around a players ability to play 5 our of 7 days? We have an older team here that seems has never played well in those situations but I would never advocate for a schedule built around that fact....

You do know that Stern was the commissioner when the league stopped playing on 3 and 4 nights in a row don't you?

I don't really care for defending him at all but not nipping this in the bud could have ramifications for future TV contracts and that effects more than this year's older Spurs team.....

I didn't say things didn't improve before 3 and 4 nights. I never said the that the league is getting worse. There are ways to make things better and more entertaining. If I was in Vegas and the Spurs had the big 3 + Green, I'd still bet against them as they'd likely lose that game. I know the team well enough.

Now with respect to Pop and the Spurs, Pop has been doing this for the past few years. Both Kawhi and Jackson are out due to injury. Manu's been coming back from a bad back, looking like he's finally competing.

As for resting the day before, a win is a win. Pop is playing to best position his team. He went after the easier win. Also, Pop couldn't send the guys home and then make them fly out to re-join the team. In this scenario, he can send them home and they can rest up for a few days. He reduced the miles of flying for them.

I don't really care. Spurs don't care much either. But Pop's been doing this for the last few years. And he's done it against all types of opponents. That said, if this is going to become a standard then he should also go after other teams that do it especially to help their draft positioning.

Either way, all Spurs fans will be happier to see the team relatively healthy through most games rather than sitting out.

Also, I'd bet on it that Spurs don't really matter in TV contracts. Miami/Lakers/OKC/Clippers matter in those contracts much much more...

grego wrote:Stern - stop scheduling 4 games in 5 nights or 5 games in 7 nights!! It's such a long season with 82 games already!

This puts a strain on all bodies, especially older players. If Pop rests his guys now and they stay healthier through the season, then more fans get to see those players more often.

Kasumi wrote:I swear the Spurs never received this much attention during any of their championship runs... but sending home 4 players for a Miami Heat game? Fine 'em a quarter mill. Insane.

It's not like most of the viewing (mainstream) America cares to see Spurs. They watch the Heat, who get the ratings....

Why not rest them the game BEFORE the Nationally televised marquis game? This was a "protest move" by Pop and the Spurs more than anything else. They had choices and conspicuously chose this day and this game in that string.

Are you advocating that the schedule of the NBA be designed around a players ability to play 5 our of 7 days? We have an older team here that seems has never played well in those situations but I would never advocate for a schedule built around that fact....

You do know that Stern was the commissioner when the league stopped playing on 3 and 4 nights in a row don't you?

I don't really care for defending him at all but not nipping this in the bud could have ramifications for future TV contracts and that effects more than this year's older Spurs team.....

I didn't say things didn't improve before 3 and 4 nights. I never said the that the league is getting worse. There are ways to make things better and more entertaining. If I was in Vegas and the Spurs had the big 3 + Green, I'd still bet against them as they'd likely lose that game. I know the team well enough.

Now with respect to Pop and the Spurs, Pop has been doing this for the past few years. Both Kawhi and Jackson are out due to injury. Manu's been coming back from a bad back, looking like he's finally competing.

As for resting the day before, a win is a win. Pop is playing to best position his team. He went after the easier win. Also, Pop couldn't send the guys home and then make them fly out to re-join the team. In this scenario, he can send them home and they can rest up for a few days. He reduced the miles of flying for them.

I don't really care. Spurs don't care much either. But Pop's been doing this for the last few years. And he's done it against all types of opponents. That said, if this is going to become a standard then he should also go after other teams that do it especially to help their draft positioning.

Either way, all Spurs fans will be happier to see the team relatively healthy through most games rather than sitting out.

Also, I'd bet on it that Spurs don't really matter in TV contracts. Miami/Lakers/OKC/Clippers matter in those contracts much much more...

You could be right about that.... but if the Spurs set a precedence the Lakers etc. might start doing the same thing.

Devils Advocate here..... People in the East that want to see Duncan, Parker and Manu play only get one shot a year..... They are part of the greatness of the game over the last decade so to deprive people that bought tickets a few months in advance of this marquis match of that opportunity to "make a point" seems to lose sight of who actually got harmed in this stunt.

While we all get wrapped up in the sport..... this is first and foremost a business... and one that has many partners outside plain view that I'm sure are not enthused with the idea of product quality issues.... especially ones that are "arbitrary".

"If the past sits in judgment on the present, the future will be lost." Winston Churchill

“The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."Dwight Eisenhower

"Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it"Thomas Sowell

Rooscooter wrote:You could be right about that.... but if the Spurs set a precedence the Lakers etc. might start doing the same thing.

Devils Advocate here..... People in the East that want to see Duncan, Parker and Manu play only get one shot a year..... They are part of the greatness of the game over the last decade so to deprive people that bought tickets a few months in advance of this marquis match of that opportunity to "make a point" seems to lose sight of who actually got harmed in this stunt.

While we all get wrapped up in the sport..... this is first and foremost a business... and one that has many partners outside plain view that I'm sure are not enthused with the idea of product quality issues.... especially ones that are "arbitrary".

Yes, generally, fans get to see that player once a year. Miami is likely not the best location for that. I'm sure fans would rather spend on the Orlando game. That's probably the case with the Clippers of the past. Go see Spurs vs. Clippers in Pre-Blake/CP3 days.

As for Lakers, they are pretty old too. I'd rather see guys sit, especially a Nash in a 5th game in 7 nights and see more of his season than him miss weeks.

I'd rather the Lakers stay healthy most of the season and roll into the post season healthy if it meant the team sitting the main guys 3-10 times this season in select games.

Resting all at the end of games doesn't slow down wear and tear that's already there.

Would Stern have fined SA if the players suited up but didn't play?if soWould he have fined SA if the players played 5-10 minutes?etc etc.....

When does it become an arbitrary slippery slope of how far Stern can tell a coach how to coach?

“Action has meaning only in relationship; and without understanding relationship, action on any level will only breed conflict. The understanding of relationship is infinitely more important than the search for any plan of action.” -Jiddu Krishnamurti

thkthebest wrote:I'm not sure why Popovich didn't rest his players before the nationally televised game, but he has ALWAYS done that. He always rested his players on the second of a back-to-back.

Because their next game is against the Grizz tomorrow. By giving them a day off yesterday (and they are back at home), they have until Saturday evening to play in San Antonio. They don't have to arrive back from a late airplane trip and got to sleep in their beds while utilizing the SA practice facility/extended training staff.

The Grizz is an equally important game, even more so since it's a Conference/Divisional game.

Punk-101 wrote:Would Stern have fined SA if the players suited up but didn't play?if soWould he have fined SA if the players played 5-10 minutes?etc etc.....

When does it become an arbitrary slippery slope of how far Stern can tell a coach how to coach?

My take on this is had Pops sat one or two players it would't have been a huge deal. The fact that they sent 4 of their 5 starters home was the issue. Miami does't jack up the prices for this game because people just want to see Lebron and Wade. They jack it up because they want to see Lebron and Wade play against some of the best teams in the league. The upper bowl tickets went from 40 bucks to 70 for the Spurs game. That is a slap in the face to the fans in my opinion. If they were there and the got a DNP-CD I don't believe Stern fines them.

I don't always bring down the hammer but when I do it is usually to a troll! Stay TROLL FREE my freinds!